Elderly Wisdom
by Fae 206
Summary: Hikari and Kei have been married for five years and have a three year old daughter. When the safety of his wife and child is threatened, Kei will give up everything he can for their protection. Cursed to old age and having signed away the future of the Takishima company, can Kei really make up for his mistake and is Hikari willing to continue their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This is very similar to something that I wrote for the Skip Beat community of fanfics. However, SA is my absolutely favorite manga and so even if nobody else reads this (which I hope isn't true) I wanted to write it.

**Elderly Wisdom**

**Chapter One**

Kei was scolding himself for having been too busy to notice the way things were happening. He was now the acting CEO of the Takishima group, a right that both he and his father had known he would hold since the day that he was born, but he also had been married to the love of his life for five years and had a three-year-old daughter who looked just like her mother but with some of his facial structure – the softer side. That was his real joy, being with the people he loved most.

He hated that sometimes work had kept him too busy to spend time with them but whenever there had been a birthday or important event, he had managed to schedule it so that he could spend the majority of the day with the ones he loves.

So, when Hikari had told him that a little boy had asked her for help, he expected it to be something to do with homework or some kind of physical training or something small, maybe some housework which he had told her that he would have servants do. She was always trying to help out and he couldn't stop her without making her feel guilty for it.

He had hoped to return to the home which they now held in Tokyo – they also had a house in London, New York, Beijing, Sydney, and a beach home in Hawaii – and spend time with his girls. He had been shocked when he had been greeted at the door by a butler who had told him that Hikari had taken their daughter, Aiko, to the woods after following a strange little boy whose description made Kei think of an American horror movie.

Something felt wrong. He shouldn't just blindly trust things that happened here. He knew that that was part of Hikari's nature but he should have been more careful and asked more questions.

"How long have they been gone for?" he asked and the butler looked to the clock.

"I would say about four hours," he replied and Kei felt sweat build up behind his neck. What kind of boy would need help for four hours and why would Aiko need to be involved. He grabbed his phone and tried to dial Hikari's number. As he heard the continuing dial tone, he paced the entrance way and when the phone was picked up, his blood ran cold.

"Takishima Kei, I've been waiting for your call," a boy who hadn't reached puberty yet said into the phone. "I have what you keep most precious. Don't worry, I'll keep them safe as long as you follow exactly what I tell you to do."

Kei opened his mouth about to say that he would pay whatever amount of money the boy wanted for his family's safe return but he didn't know the situation. Was this real? Was he really being threatened by some young boy? "Where are they," he whispered and the boy laughed.

"Meet me in Aokigahara," the boy laughed and Kei felt something slide down his back.

This was a trick, right? Hikari could escape anything. She could protect Aiko and they would be safe, still, even if this was a trap, this was somebody who had messed with those most precious to him and they needed to be dealt with.

…..

…..

As Kei arrived at the forest, he saw a strange light in the sky above him in the shape of one of the stars associated with the devil. This wasn't good. Whatever had happened, he hadn't prepared himself for and since it seemed less human than he did, it would be hard to come out of this unscathed but even if he died, he needed to protect his girls.

Preparing himself, Kei knew to follow the sign above and ran through the trees, he froze as he saw Hikari bound to one and a young boy holding his hand up to her. Kei stared at him, his eyes catching onto Aiko who was hiding behind a tree. He saw her open her mouth but subtly shook his head, telling her to be quiet and to keep hiding.

"So," Kei said as he walked forwards and saw that Hikari was beaten up and bruised as she gasped for air against the tree. She didn't seem conscious but she was hurting, he didn't know how much pain she had inside but he wanted to protect her. "I'm here. You can let them go."

"You know, you're an interesting case," the boy smiled as he turned his attention away from HIkari and Kei saw that she was left to catch her breath. He wanted to control his anger to rip this kid's head off and leave him as a decapitated corpse but he was dealing with the supernatural here. Whatever his thoughts were, he would have to control them, "You have great body strength, great intelligence, are skilled in almost every area but you can be manipulated so so easily."

"Fine," Kei whispered, "You want me, fine. Take me. As long as you let her go, you leave he alone forever then then fine…call me easy to manipulate if you need to but I'm not abandoning her," he protested and the boy laughed.

"Doesn't your company have a policy that if you're over seventy you should retire?" he asked and Kei looked at him with wide eyes. What the hell did he mean by that? He nodded slowly. "Who gets it after you?"

"My…heirs?" Kei said as he looked to Hikari hoping that this would end soon. "Who the hell cares about the company!? You have my _family!? _Enough with the small talk, tell me what I need to do to end you."

"Sign over the company to me, put me next in line after the death of the heir," the boy said, "I know I have to wait ten more years to run it but if I'm the successor."

Kei gaped at him, he bowed his head. He was the current CEO, sure, but it had already been decided that were he not able to run the company, it would go to Sui and then to Aoi. Aoi would probably take control first but then when Sui finished his education, he would be next to be the CEO. This would most likely mean his own death.

"After all of the successors, any present and future ones, fine, we'll give you a chance," he said as he looked to HIkari. Maybe it was a stupid rule but there were more people that he had to get through to reach that finish point. What Kei didn't understand was why he had asked about retirement age.

"Deal," the boy said before grinning as he let Hikari's body slide to the ground and Kei tried to run over to make sure he was okay but he felt something sinking within him. He was being pulled to the ground with roots covering him. He felt his breath pulled out of him and he was frozen. He stretched out a hand before seeing it start to shrivel up, he was losing oxygen.

Aiko ran over to him, her body still shaking, "Daddy?" she asked as she tried to touch him but Kei looked to where HIkari had fallen.

"Be a good girl, Aiko," he struggled to speak to her as he felt himself pulled further into the ground. "Can you check to see if Mommy is okay?" he asked and Aiko nodded with tears in her eyes. "Remember I love you," Kei told her before losing consciousness.

…..

…..

"He's gaining consciousness," Kei heard a doctor say as he started to see the artificial light in the room, he felt a shock through his sore body and heard someone else making a note of his health conditions. Something didn't feel right. He had had a terrible dream and he felt ill. He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, it was more sensitive than usual. Had he developed a cold?

He looked to his hand before seeing the loose skin, it was the hand of a man much older than himself. He coughed and felt a pain in his chest that was unfamiliar. He heard the doctors around him again. Where was he? Why did he feel so bad? So weak?

"You're lucky," one of the nurses said as she gave him a large smile, "Most people your age wouldn't have made it." Kei glanced at her before he managed to see his reflection in one of the metal devices. He blinked hard. How was this possible? He looked like himself but he also looked a lot like his grandfather but perhaps even older.

"What's…what's going on here?" he asked and the nurse guided him back down.

"Sir, you need your rest," she advised and Kei felt a pain in his throat. What had happened? He felt a sharp pain in his forehead before closing his eyes and the doctors left him alone to listen to the sound of his own heart rate on the monitor.

It was less than ten minutes later when he heard a familiar noise, "Daddy!" he opened his eyes to see a frightened Aiko standing in front of him. He managed to push himself up, feeling only slightly better after that rest and looked at the three-year-old. He shook his head before finding Hikari to follow her into the room, at least she was alive. That's what really mattered.

"Aiko," she said as she put a hand to the girl's shoulder, "You shouldn't run off into other people's rooms." Hikari turned to him and Kei knew that she recognized him but she was trying to figure out what had happened. She looked around. This didn't seem right but nothing about the previous night had felt right. "I'm really sorry," Hikari bowed to him and Kei turned away from her.

Wasn't it best to push her away so she didn't get hurt again?

"Your daughter is quite sweet," he said attempting to disguise his voice and Hikari put a hand onto his shoulder, gently squeezing it as she approached him. Kei kept looking away from her. "I wish I could have spent more time with my own daughter."

"Let me see your face," Hikari whispered. She was usually dense about this type of thing but with all the crazy events that had happened and with how she knew that Kei would risk everything for her safety, she wanted to trust in her daughter when she announced him as her father. "Please?" Hikari begged as the tears trickled down her cheeks.

Kei shook his head, begging for her to leave him. He didn't want her to be involved in this anymore and he didn't want to hurt her. He never wanted for her to be hurt ever again.

Hikari wrapped her arms around him from behind, trying to not let her sobs serve as too much of a distraction. She moved so she could really study his face and his expression before she registered the small details as well as the larger ones. She kissed his cheek, closing her eyes painfully. "I'm sorry," she apologized through the tears. "I'm sorry. I'm responsible for this happening to you."

"You should leave," Kei told her, letting her hear his proper voice. He turned to her, the pain obviously felt deep. "Leave me," he told her as Hikari flinched. "I don't want anything to happen to you. It's enough for me to know that you're alive."

Hikari kept her head bowed and she shook it, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't do that," she whispered, "all I want is for us to be together as a family. I'm sorry, I can't leave you. I love you no matter how you look." Her cheeks turned a little red but she gazed up at him, the pain in her eyes but there wasn't any disgust, just acceptance for the man who would give up anything for her.

**End of Chapter One**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


	2. Chapter 2

This pain was suffocating in many ways but Hikari kept thinking of her own ignorance at being so naïve. She had promised herself that she would work to get better, that Kei and Aiko needed her to use her common sense a bit more and yet she felt like she was unable to say no to threats pushed against her. As the pain stopped and she slid to the ground, she could see her husband struggling on the ground but he was unable to get up and she could see that some kind of curse was taking over him.

His body seemed to be decaying and all that she could do was watch in horror as he endured pain that she had never thought that she'd see him in. He must have given something for her. Reaching into his jacket which was halfway between them she nervously called for an ambulance begging that it wouldn't be too late. She was losing consciousness herself but she heard him trying his best to not show Aiko his own pain.

He really had always been a good father. Aiko ran to her and Hikari felt her eyes slide closed, she managed to choke out the address before collapsing onto the ground. She hoped she had been in time to save him.

**Chapter Two**

Hikari hummed as she still hugged him knowing that she had to be the strong one right now. She knew that Kei would argue against her and act as if nothing was wrong and he hadn't lost his abilities to worsening health and a frailer body. She held onto his hand, feeling the loose skin and saw Aiko watching them/

"We're a family, right?" she asked and saw Kei's sadness.

"There needs to be a restructuring of the entire Takishima company and all of the connected businesses," Kei said and Hikari looked at him. She knew that she could be clueless sometimes and would ignore the real problem but focusing on work wasn't what mattered most right now. What was most important right now was making sure that Kei's health was okay and that they could provide a suitable change of life for him.

"I don't think that this is the best time to think about that," Hikari tried to persuade him and Kei held onto her hand. He closed his eyes softly and drew some deep breaths.

"It's what is most important," he said before shaking his head, "no, what's the second most important thing. Most importantly, are you okay? Are my girls okay?" he asked as Aiko held his other hand and leaned against him. Kei gently wrapped his arm around her in a loving embrace.

"Aiko's okay and I can take care of myself. I don't need for you to worry about me," she said before seeing the weak smile. She knew that it would kill her if he told her to leave him again. So what if he bore more of a resemblance to his grandfather, he was still the same guy on the inside. She got up and stood in front of him, taking in the weariness but still seeing the same guy behind the aged physical attributes.

"So, first you think that we should try to change the Takishima business. I mean, what do you mean by that?" Hikari asked before frowning, "Though, it should be easy to do. I mean, you do manage the -"

"I don't manage it any longer," Kei told her and Hikari froze. He had been the main individual to promote the company and run what it did, he was responsible for all of it and had been for years. She didn't know what he was talking about. He was still the CEO despite his age, age didn't matter, why did age matter? "You're forced to retire once you reach the age of seventy," Kei told her and Hikari paused.

"That's why?" she asked and Kei shrugged.

"I guess so but there are other ways of getting the company or at least trying to steal the market share. I don't know what I have got to do with it," he said although Hikari was more than aware that because of Kei's power and influence in Japan he brought a lot to the company, a company that he could no longer run but Satoru could. Hikari looked at him concerned.

"So, you say that we have to change the company guidelines?" she asked and Kei looked at her and shook his head, "How about if it's renamed?"

"It has to be transferred to another company, maybe even liquidated but definitely sold," he said and Aiko let her head rest on his lap. Kei stared at his hand and then turned to Hikari. He knew what the next step should be but he hated to ask for it. His situation right now wasn't one which he hoped to share with others.

"I need to talk to my father," Kei said and Hikari nodded slowly. "I need for you to not tell him anything. I need to speak to him alone," he requested and Hikari knew that Satoru-ji would love his son but Kei had to let him in to do so.

…..

…..

Satoru looked down awkwardly as he went to the hospital room which Hikari had asked him to go to. He didn't know what was happening but she had said that something had happened to Kei and Kei had requested he go and speak to someone who would be able to help the company. Even though she had spoken in a cryptic fashion, Satoru was worried about what that meant. Meeting with this man didn't seem at all important if Kei was in danger.

He got to the room and knocked on the door before slowly opening it. He could see a man in his mid-seventies asleep in the bed. Satoru looked at him and felt a sting of shock in him. Was this…Midori's cousin or an uncle or something, he definitely shared similar traits to his wife but he had never met him. He didn't even know that Midori had an uncle he had never met.

He walked over to him before seeing the wedding ring on his finger and his eyes widened. What did this mean? Was this his son? Satoru took a step back as he examined him. He loved his son and felt that he would know him anywhere but he hadn't believed that he would see his son in the body of an old man. Satoru slowly sat down in the chair, his eyes wide with shock.

This shouldn't be happening. Curses weren't real and black magic shouldn't be real. All of Kei's ability were from him being able to access more of his brain than a regular person. This type of body transformation was only in stories, fiction, it couldn't be happening.

Satoru very slowly brushed the man's hair back, feeling his forehead. If he wasn't correct in this being Kei then he would apologize, blame himself for losing it and hope that the stranger understood the truth but if this was Kei then he needed for his son to be cared for.

As the elderly man turned to him and opened his eyes, Satoru's own eyes widened. His eyes were Kei's eyes. As much as Kei might try to protest, Satoru knew his son and the eyes really were something different on each individual. These were his son's eyes, there was no doubt about that.

"What happened?" Satoru asked as he looked at him and Kei pulled back.

"Hello?" he croaked as he attempted to sit up but Satoru immediately grabbed some pillows and pushed them against the wall to offer his son more support. He didn't understand this. Nothing of this nature had ever happened to Satoru before but then it would have been very strange had it. "Who are…"

"You know who I am," Satoru said as he nervously reached for the clipboard. "What happened?"

"How?" Kei asked as he stared at him, wanting to know what he had done wrong and how his father had been able to learn. Did Hikari tell him? He didn't know whether to trust in the fact that his dad could figure it out himself. Because of his boyish face and personality, some people didn't consider him as intelligent as Kei had always known he was.

"Do I need to provide an explanation for how I can recognize my own son," Satoru asked in shock. He closed his eyes and attempted to steady his breath before getting up. He pushed his hand through his hair a number of times. "I don't understand," he said as he turned around to face Kei but then heard the older man cough painfully and was at his kid's side instantly.

"What is it?" Satoru asked and Kei looked at him again, watching him. "What hurts?"

"I need for you to help me with something," Kei said and Satoru nodded weakly, not sure what words would express his compassion and his love and support for his much older son. He wanted to take care of Kei, take him home and figure out how he would be most comfortable. Most of all though, Satoru needed to make sure that Midori was aware of this as well. She might want to stay in Australia though. Taking care of an older family member was a bit of a commitment.

"Someone is trying to take down the Takishima company. We have to stop it from," Kei began but sharply coughed and Satoru rubbed his back unsure of how best to help his child.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Satoru asked as he pulled up a chair and held onto Kei's hand. He didn't want to show his fear right now. Kei needed him to be a lot stronger than he currently felt. "We'll get through this. I'll tell Mama, okay?" he asked and Kei sighed.

"You need to stop the operations or someone might get hurt," Kei told him. "If that person was you or Mom or Sui then I won't forgive myself. You're all my family."

"And you're _our_ family," Satoru said before ruffling his son's hair and saw the pain and exhaustion in his face. "I'm going to be right back," he said, "Mama should know about this. Don't worry, we both love you unconditionally," he said and Kei paused.

"Dad," Kei said weakly and Satoru stopped in the doorway, "Please, stay?" he asked.

Satoru stared at him before nodding. "Okay," he said slowly. "I'll stay."

**End of Chapter Two**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


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